321: Chapter 310: Smashing the Signboard 321: Chapter 310: Smashing the Signboard “Oh?
You can inspect our hot pot restaurant’s kitchen anytime you like, and if you find a single fly, we’ll compensate you one hundred yuan, how about that?” Wu Xin knew without looking that this man was looking for trouble.
If a fly was found in a hot pot, that could be chalked up to kitchen oversight, but having a second pot come out and again finding a fly was fishy.
Moreover, this man didn’t seem like he came to enjoy hot pot but rather as if he came specifically to search for flies in the soup.
“Who knows if you won’t tip off the kitchen staff,” the man bellowed.
“So, what would you like us to do?” Wu Xin asked, furrowing her brow.
“It’s up to your hot pot restaurant.
I am just a vulnerable consumer.
I came here to eat and ended up finding a fly in my food.
I need an explanation from you.”
“How about this, we serve you another pot, and if you still find a fly this time, every time you dine with us in the future, we won’t charge you a dime.
What do you say?” Wu Xin said sincerely, “Lanlan, tell the kitchen to prepare another hot pot right away.”
In a short while, the head chef personally brought out a hot pot and set it before the man, “I’ve been making hot pots for over a decade, seen all sorts of things.
Look and see if there’s a fly in this one.”
The man looked around guiltily and said, “Now that the hot pot is served, why are you all still standing here?
Do you want to watch me eat?”
“I just want you to check now if there’s a fly in there or not,” Wu Xin said coldly.
“If not, we can leave afterward without haste.”
The man reluctantly searched through the hot pot broth and, finding nothing, said in a fit of anger, “There’s nothing in this hot pot.
You can go now, don’t crowd around here, too many people kills my appetite.”
Wu Xin nodded in satisfaction and then turned to leave.
As everyone was leaving, the man took a palm-sized bag out of his pocket and was about to retrieve a fly from it when his hand was snatched away by another large hand.
Song Yun looked at the man, smiling but not smiling, and announced, “Everyone, come see!
This hot pot restaurant has no issues at all; it was all this man’s doing.
He prepared a bunch of flies in this bag, planning to ruin the restaurant’s reputation.
Now everyone can rest assured and enjoy their meal.”
The man shot a cold glance at Song Yun, flipped the table over, and took advantage of the ensuing chaos to make a run for it.
“Are you okay?” Wu Xin came up and asked with concern.
“Did you get hurt anywhere?”
“No harm done, just let that bastard get away.
Damn it, he actually dared to cause trouble here,” Song Yun said with an icy expression.
“Had he not run fast, I would have broken his legs.”
“All right, let’s not bother with that scoundrel.
Let’s go back to eating,” Susan also advised nearby.
Due to Song Yun catching the man’s trick, everyone dismissed the concern.
So all the flies in the pot were put there by the man himself.
As long as there were none in their own food, it was fine.
Back in the private room, with a bubbling pot before them, the group began to eat, chatting and laughing.
Although they didn’t quite savor the meal, it was still an interesting experience.
Chatting about everything under the sun, the three of them took an hour to finish.
Just when Song Yun was wiping his mouth and lighting up a cigarette, a few officers in blue uniforms and caps entered from outside.
The leader showed his ID to the waiter and said, “Hello, we have received public complaints that your hot pot restaurant doesn’t meet health standards and has engaged in fraudulent behavior towards customers.
We’ve come to check it out.”
“Absolutely not, our restaurant has been operating for many years and has never failed an inspection,” the receptionist explained.
“May I ask who made the complaint?
We would like to confront them directly; they are tarnishing our restaurant’s reputation.”
“I don’t know whether it’s tarnishing your reputation or not, but if the people have filed a complaint, we must investigate,” the leading man looked around and said, “Where’s your manager?
Have him come talk to me.”
Wu Xin was in the kitchen, preparing some dessert after the meal, and Li Xue was with her learning.
Song Yun, cigarette in mouth, walked up to them and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Are you the owner of this restaurant?” the leader asked seriously.
“More or less, what can I do for you?”
“Hello, we suspect your restaurant fails to meet hygiene standards and needs to be inspected.
We hope you will cooperate,” the leader said.
“Also, you might want to explain, why has there been consumer fraud in your restaurant?”
“Brother Song, it’s most likely that troublemaker who called the cops,” whispered the manager, who had met Song Yun a few times.
Song Yun nodded and pointed to the dining customers, “You’re free to ask any of them; they all know the full story of what just happened.”
The lead officer approached one of the eating customers and asked, “Did you see what happened just now?”
“I did see it.”
“Then tell me now, what exactly happened,” the officer squinted and said.
“Is it true that this restaurant doesn’t meet hygiene standards and cheated consumers?”
What kind of question was that?
The question itself carried an implicit threat.
The customer, thinking it’s better to avoid trouble, shook his head and said, “I didn’t see anything from what happened just now.”
“Lying and giving false testimony is illegal, speak up, what did you actually see?” The lead officer pressed his shoulder and asked sternly.
“I…
I just saw a man claiming he found a fly in the hot pot,” said the customer then took out two hundred yuan and slapped it on the table, “Waiter, check, please.”
Having said that, he left quickly with his friend.
The lead officer walked over to Song Yun and said gravely, “That man just said he found a fly in your hot pot.
I believe the public doesn’t lie.
We’ll confiscate your business license for now, and return it to you once you pass the inspection.”
If the business license were to be revoked, it meant that the hot pot restaurant would have to cease operation for the time being.
Looking at the man’s attitude, it was evidently his intent to indefinitely withhold the license.
Disregarding the daily losses,
Just the mere tarnishing of the restaurant’s reputation would be detrimental.
Even upon reopening, people would surely point at their restaurant’s signboard saying, “That’s the place with poor hygiene service; they were suspended a while back.”
Once the reputation is sullied, it would take much more time and money to recover.